Valvoline - 110 years of competition

Valvoline - In it to Win it from the Beginning
First Oil of Motorsports Leading the Way After 110 Years of Competition
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 15, 2006)- A Valvoline radio commercial
last season used humor to make a valid point about...

Valvoline - In it to Win it from the Beginning
First Oil of Motorsports Leading the Way After 110 Years of Competition

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 15, 2006)- A Valvoline radio commercial
last season used humor to make a valid point about racing and
sponsorship. While a broadcaster described the action on the race track
he refered to each car by its sponsor, the "detergent car" and the
"cellular phone car". Then he described the Valvoline car, a sponsor
who's products have been used in race cars "since they were racing on
sand" at Daytona. The point is that sponsors may come and go in
motorsports, but one of the sport's original players continues to not
only be on the car but in it. As the first consumer products marketer to
not only sponsor but own a NASCAR team, Valvoline brings more to their
team than simply sponsor dollars. They build a better performing motor
oil, one race at a time.

A rich history of motorsports success and innovation has brought
Valvoline from victory lane in the first auto race in North America in
1895, to the formation of Valvoline Evernham Racing 110 years later.
Valvoline has been at work inside the best race cars in history, giving
them the performance to win NASCAR, Indy Car, and Formula One
championships. Since 1866 when Dr. Ellis patented Valvoline, it has
served the needs of a nationwide transportation revolution to become one
of America's leading motor oils.

In 1959, Valvoline pioneered motorsports sponsorship by sponsoring the
National Hot Rod Association U.S. National drag races. In 1963, the
Valvoline logo was proudly displayed by the two revolutionary Novi cars
in the Indy 500. By 1965, a new product, Valvoline Racing Motor Oil, was
introduced and the benefits of innovation through competition came to the
forefront as it became the best-selling racing oil of all time.

By 1969, Valvoline was the choice of nearly half the chief mechanics in
the Indy 500. Al Unser Sr. gave Valvoline its first Indy 500 victory the
next year and in 1972, A.J. Foyt used Valvoline to win the Daytona 500.
In 1978, Valvoline went international when Mario Andretti won the Formula
One World Championship using Valvoline in his crankcase.

Valvoline pioneered the use of motorsports to support business
relationships through product development and testing, and race team
sponsorship. On the track, Valvoline was hard at work in the engines of
1980 NHRA Champion Shirley Muldowney, NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Darrell
Waltrip in 1982. Valvoline sponsorship continued to grow as well. On the
NASCAR circuit, Buddy Baker drove a Valvoline-sponsored car in 1985, and
then Neil Bonnett took the reigns in 1987. In 1986, Bobby Rahall won the
Indy 500 in a Valvoline-sponsored car. The success continued in 1990,
which became a big year when Joe Amato claimed the 1990 NHRA Top Fuel
Championship and Al Unser Jr. won the Indy Car Championship as well, both
with Valvoline as their primary sponsor. Unser Jr. took the Valvoline
sponsorship to victory lane at again at Indy in 1992.

From 1990 to 2000, Valvoline enjoyed a highly successful tenure at Roush
Racing with driver Mark Martin visiting victory lane 31 times in Winston
Cup competition. By the end of the millennium the Valvoline brand had
enjoyed just about every on-track success possible. But they then changed
the sponsorship paradigm even further by becoming the first consumer
product to own a race team in 2001. Shortly afterward, Johnny Benson took
MBV Motorsports to victory lane at North Carolina Speedway in 2002.
Valvoline also broke into the realm of track sponsorship by becoming the
Official Motor Oil of Daytona International Speedway in 2002, and Bristol
Motor Speedway in 2004. Soon the program pegged a young Busch Series
standout, Scott Riggs, to drive the Valvoline car in the NASCAR NEXTEL
Cup Series in 2004.

In 2006, Valvoline is poised to bring their program to the forefront
again as a sponsor of Evernham Motorsports, a proven leader in the NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup Series. Valvoline has continued their team ownership by
forming Valvoline Evernham Racing, and bringing Scott Riggs over to
continue to drive for Valvoline. Substantial media buys on SPEED Channel,
a continuation of track sponsorship, the introduction of the Valvoline
Garage at-track display and the new formation of Valvoline Evernham
Racing promise to bring the same undisputable at-track success in the
future as in the past.

About Valvoline:
Valvoline, a division of Ashland Inc., has been serving American
motorists longer than any other motor oil company and is a leading
innovator and supplier of quality, high-performing automotive and
industrial products in more than 100 countries. Best known for its
lubricants, Valvoline also markets Eagle One® appearance products, Car
Brite® car restoration products, Zerex® antifreeze, SynPower® performance
products, Pyroil® automotive chemicals and MaxLife® products created for
higher-mileage engines. Valvoline also has a stake in the quick-lube
market with its Valvoline Instant Oil Change unit.

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) is a Fortune 500 chemical and transportation
construction company providing products, services and customer solutions
throughout the world. To learn more about Ashland, visit www.ashland.com.